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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/22/1988 Meeting - e e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council Eugene Conference Center February 22, 1988 5:30 p.m. PRESENT: Freeman Holmer, Ruth Bascom, Debra Ehrman, Cynthia Wooten, Jeff Miller, Roger Rutan, Emily Schue. ABSENT: Robert Bennett. His Honor Mayor Brian B. Obie called the work session of the City Council of the City of Eugene to order at 5:38 p.m. I. URBAN RENEWAL PLAN UPDATE (PEDESTRIAN MALL/PLAZA/WILLAMETTE STREET FROM 8TH TO 10TH) Mayor Obie announced he no longer has a potential conflict of interest in the Willamette Street issue. He said Centennial Bank, of which he is chairman of the board, has broken off negotiations to acquire a building at the corner of Broadway and Willamette Street. Bob Hibschman, Development Department, presented the staff report. He reviewed that the council last July indicated it wanted to consider three primary options for Willamette Street: 1) closed to traffic; 2) open to traffic; or 3) closed to traffic with the later option to open it back up to traffic. Mr. Hibschman said the Downtown Commission and Planning Commission have recommended that the street be open to vehicular traffic from 8th to 10th avenues with a strong pedestrian orientation. East Broadway should not be open to vehicular traffic, and the Broadway-Willamette intersection should be upgraded and remain as a plaza. The two commissions recommended that the design and reconstruction be completed in a time frame that minimizes disruption. He said the estimated cost of the project is $1,450,000. Ms. Ehrman asked where the Sl.45 million is coming from. Mr. Hibschman said the Downtown Commission has recommended that the capital budget include all the redesign projects. The money is designated to come from tax increment dollars. Mr. Miller asked if there is any rationale for assessing property owners a portion of the reconstruction costs. Mr. Hibschman said that is an option that can be considered. He said that would not conflict with tax increment financing. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 1 e Ms. Wooten asked what occurred at the last council meeting at which new expansion boundaries were discussed for the Urban Renewal District. Mr. Hibschman said the Downtown Commission recommended that it and the Planning Commission process any change to the original recommendation in a manner similar to the original recommendations. He said the Downtown Commission and Planning Commission hope to forward a recommendation April 11. Ms. Wooten asked if either commission has received any information from the State regarding a new State building. Mr. Hibschman said no information has been received, although staff is continuing to discuss the feasibility of a new State building with State officials. Mr. Holmer asked if the plans for redesign of the mall imply that opening the mall does not include redesign of the plaza. Mr. Hibschman said the intention is to redesign the plaza whether or not the street is opened to traffic. Ms. Wooten asked if consideration has been given to an enlarged plaza that would incorporate the Equitable Building and connection to the Park blocks. Mr. Hibschman said a study by Don Miles recommended that such a project be explored. He said to date any enlargement has not been considered. e Mr. Rutan asked if the Downtown Commission and Planning Commission have revisited the Willamette Street issue since the council last discussed the matter. Mr. Hibschman said the two commissions have not and are not planning to do so in the future. Ed Whitelaw, a consultant with ECO Northwest, reviewed the firm's findings on the relationship between automobile access and economic activity in downtown Eugene. He said there have been no studies that provide Eugene with the effects of reopening or keeping the mall closed to vehicular traffic. Mr. Whitelaw said in Eugene, like other cities, access and interaction facilitate economic activity. In Eugene, access refers primarily to automobile access. Since the current design restricts access, it impedes economic activity. Reopening the street to automobiles will increase access and visibility and lead to economic growth. However, he said the fundamental question is how much more economic activity will be generated by reopening the mall. He said it is his opinion that economic activity will increase a significant amount if the mall is reopened to traffic. e Other than Boulder, Colorado, Ms. Wooten asked if there are any other cities that are comparable to Eugene. Mr. Whitelaw said there are other cities that have strictly pedestrian malls. However, he said there are none that have reopened or closed their mall recently enough to provide an accurate comparison. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 2 _ .It>..", ~ Ms. Wooten asked if the following is a correct paraphrase of the ECO Northwest report: since there is not empirical evidence that shows opening a mall to automobiles will increase economic activity, the consultants have had to rely on economic theory to provide a model. That theory is based on the fact that a sense of access will foster investment in downtown Eugene. Mr. Whitelaw said there is overwhelming evidence that access and visibility lead to increased economic activity in downtown areas. What is missing is a case study of a city similar to Eugene that has experienced a mall closing or reopening to traffic. Ms. Wooten asked if the consultants looked at cities where malls are working well. Mr. Whitelaw said they did, although the key question is whether there would have been economic activity in absence of those malls. He said it is difficult to find other cities where malls occupy as much downtown space as the Eugene mall does. e Ms. Schue asked if there are other cities that originally designated a large portion of the downtown to a mall. Mr. Whitelaw said Eugene is atypical in that sense, although not unique. He said the issue is difficult to measure, in part because 20 years have passed since the mall was first constructed. He said the Portland downtown is unusually successful at retaining employment and activity partially because the city blocks are half the size of those in a city such as Seattle. He said this leads to an increased amount of interaction and activity. Ms. Schue noted that Portland, unlike Eugene, has strongly encouraged its citizens to utilize mass transit. She said there might be a difference between mass transit access and automobile access. Mr. Whitelaw said transportation modes such as buses and taxis are substitutes for automobiles. He pointed out that in Eugene those substitutes are less available. City Manager Mike Gleason said it is his impression that, with the exception of a few cases, construction of malls is dropping off. He said there are also malls such as the Tacoma mall that are being radically altered or eliminated. Mr. Whitelaw said one of the principal reasons for a decline in urban renewal is because of perceived unfulfilled expectations of what downtown malls and urban renewals could have brought to cities. He said the issue for Eugene now is how much more downtown economic activity there will be if the mall is reopened. He repeated his impression that there will be more, although it is difficult to guage. Ms. Ehrman said she appreciated the objectivity in Mr. Whitelaw's report, and thanked Ms. Bascom for requesting the ECO Northwest study. e Mayor Obie said the issue before the council may be if the mall can be MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 3 e made more visible through ways other than reopening Willamette Street. Mr. Whitelaw restated his belief that there are not alternatives in Eugene that would offer as much access and visibility as reopening the street to automobiles. Ms. Bascom noted arguments that say the possibility of Sears and The Bon leaving the mall is both a reason to leave it closed and a reason to reopen it. Mr. Hibschman called councilors attention to a process chart prepared by staff. He said the council needs to set a meeting at which it will make a decision on how to proceed with the issue. He said the conceptual design process will take five to six months. The best time for mall construction has been identified as after the Christmas holidays and before summer. If a public vote is going to be held, the first opportunity is September 20, 1988, which has a ballot deadline of August 10, 1988. Mayor Obie asked if the council needs any additional information. Mr. Holmer asked what the distinction is between conceptual design and design. Mr. Hibschman said conceptual design is a process that recognizes certain refinements that are needed to the plan, such as the inclusion of certain elements. He said user group input would be solicited during the conceptual design process. e Mr. Holmer asked if the conceptual design process has to take place after the council has reached a decision on the issue. Mr. Hibschman said the conceptual design process could occur sooner if desired. Mr. Gleason pointed out that during the renovation of 6th and 7th avenues a design committee implemented the project after the council had made a decision. He said there are often lots of undiscussed elements that require policy decisions. Mr. Holmer asked if the council should make a decision without addressing some of those undiscussed questions. Ms. Ehrman asked if specific private development along the street will affect design. Mr. Hibschman said the most likely location that will occur is at 8th and Willamette. He said the design process could be altered to accommodate a range of possibilities. Mayor Obie clarified the options available to the council: 1) accept the Planning Commission and Downtown Commission recommendation to redesign Willamette Street for vehicles; 2) retain the pedestrian mall between 8th and 10th avenues and; 3) submit the issue to voters. Mayor Obie said the community appears to have conflicting values on the matter. He said he has considered a fourth option of directing staff to return to council with a proposal that combines the best of proposals one e MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 4 e and two. He said reopening the street to vehicles is only a symbol of the real issue of access and visibility. Ms. Schue said the question should be how the council can achieve additional access downtown without destroying the amenities people appreciate. She said the council can consider opening part of the mall to cars such as the half block at the north end, the plaza between the Overpark and surrounding buildings, and the courtyard between the Atrium Building and Center Court. Mr. Rutan suggested the council reconsider the Eugene Downtown Public Spaces study by Don Miles that proposed implementing a Broadway concept on Willamette Street or opening the street in a limited way with two narrow lanes. He said the council could consider having Mr. Miles conduct more research on alternative proposals. However, he said additional information should not be gathered at the expense of delaying a decision. Mayor Obie said the council has all the information it needs. Mr. Miller said the key is vehicular access, and the council should perhaps review pertinent alternatives. He said the council needs to find a way to involve the public and determine if the citizens are behind the council IS efforts. He suggested one possibility is putting the issue to a vote. - Ms. Wooten said she agrees with Mr. Rutan regarding Mr. Miles' study. She said the study demonstrated how the area can be renovated but remain closed to cars, and outlined how the street can be opened to vehicles while retaining a pedestrian orientation. She said the council should develop a policy and have staff and the public become involved in the design of the project. She said she does not want the council to delay the issue any longer, and added it should vote on the issue as soon as possible. Ms. Bascom said she thought the second option in Mr. Miles' study included a plan for future access through Olive Street. She noted that one of the issues in the study was to tie the mall renovation to a private development project. She said this possibility does not fully address the issue of council leadership. Mayor Obie said leaving the project to a private developer places a significant burden on the developer. Ms. Bascom said she favors developing a redesign that makes it possible to reopen the mall to automobiles in the future. Mr. Holmer said he appreciates Ms. Schue's suggestions to open up lesser- used alleys to vehicles. He said the council needs to take leadership in identifying the issues. He said he agrees with Mr. Miller that the council ought to put the issue to a public vote. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 5 e Ms. Ehrman said she supports presenting voters with alternatives to simply reopening or leaving the mall closed to vehicles. She said the mall appears to be in a stagnation period and the council needs to consider what the best future environment is. She said she is not convinced that reopening the street will produce enough of a change. Ms. Ehrman said she is worried about the council not taking any action on the issue. She said she is willing to spend resources on a street design. However, she said she is not willing to proceed until more is known about the development. She said this does not place undue burden on private developers because the City is willing to assist developers as they demonstrate a commitment to a project. This also gives the community a vision about what the design concept should be. Ms. Ehrman said she also favors a redesign that incorporates the Broadway improvements on Willamette. She said she supports a public vote because the issue will come to a vote regardless. She said she can see the merits of Ms. Schue1s suggestions to transform rear access. One successful example of this is the Downtown Athletic Club. Ms. Ehrman said she was not originally in favor of the changes to Willamette Street between 10th and 11th. However, she said those changes accomplished the goals of access and visibility they intended to. She said she hopes that the people who oppose reopening the street keep in mind the council1s goal to help the downtown. She added she is not convinced that leaving the street closed to traffic will accomplish that. ~ Mr. Rutan called the council's attention to the first paragraph of the Downtown Plan that states downtown Eugene is the community's business center. He said he helped draft the plan and still supports the view that the downtown area represents the focus of business activities. He said it is time for the council to make a decision on the issue. He reminded councilors that both the Planning Commission and the Downtown Commission have unanimously recommended the street should be reopened. He said the ECO Northwest report also responds to earlier concerns that reopening the street will not have a positive impact on downtown. He added he is in strong support of the council reopening the street. Mayor Obie asked if Mr. Rutan supports referring the issue to Mr. Rutan said he prefers that the council make the decision. should only be put to a vote if the council feels it does not community sentiment on the issue. a vote. He said it know Mr. Holmer said he agrees the council should make a decision. However, he noted the nature of Eugene's citizens and their sense of community involvement. He said it is appropriate for the council to ask the voters for their opinion on an issue as divisive as reopening the mall to traffic. He added voters should have the chance to vote on the two recommendations in addition to any that the council support. e Ms. Schue said previous statements she made about not wanting to refer MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 6 e the issue to voters were misunderstood. She said she was trying to say that the council should not shrink from its responsibilities to reach decisions. She said she would like as much flexibility in the situation as possible. She said she prefers that the council work out a compromise design that keeps the street closed to through traffic, but that allows as much access within that design as possible. She said she does not oppose referring that compromise to voters. However, she said it is the council's responsibility to try and work out such a compromise first. Mr. Miller said the evidence has shown that vehicular access is essential to making the downtown a major business center. He said he favors proceeding with reopening the street while at the same time exploring other alternatives. He suggested a community committee be established to review the design issue. If that is not going to occur, he said he does not support spending more money on redesigning the street. He restated the council should refer its final recommendation to the voters. Ms. Wooten said she suggested during earlier discussions that the issue should be referred to voters. She said it is now her position that the council has a responsibility to make a recommendation on the issue. She added she does support putting the issue before voters if the council is not able to resolve it by itself. Ms. Bascom said she considers the downtown area a cultural focus for the community in addition to a business center. She said she is in favor of referring a specific design instead of several options to voters. e Mayor Obie said there are five councilors who support referring some part of the issue to voters, and two who do not. Mr. Gleason said in his view the council has reached a consensus about goals while not substantially changing its point of view. He said there is still a division of opinions over the best way to increase access without opening Willamette Street. He said the council is considering submitting to voters either a number of proposals or a single design. He suggested the council first attempt to agree on a single design proposal. If the council cannot agree, it should give voters a choice of proposals. Mr. Miller said another option is to have a citizen group draft a design proposal for referral to voters. Ms. Schue said it is important to give instruction to a design committee. She said the council should first state whether the street is going to be open or remain closed to traffic. Mayor Obie said the council can make a policy decision at this meeting regarding traffic on the street, and then decide at a later meeting how it wants to implement a design of that policy. - Ms. Bascom said now is not the time to decide the issue of whether the street should be open or closed to vehicles. She said there are still questions about opening and closing the street that have not been MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 7 e - - resolved. Ms. Ehrman said she concurs with Ms. Bascom's position. Mayor Obie clarified that Ms. Bascom and Ms. Ehrman would like to hear design alternatives before a decision is made to reopen the street to automobiles. Ms. Schue said she agrees with that approach. She added the council should be clear that by design it means rough sketches from staff about design possibilities. Mr. Miller pointed out that the council has already received those types of design possibilities. He said the council should have specific goals to work for such as access. He said he would like design options from staff that apply directly to those goals. Ms. Schue said the important question is not access, which the council agrees needs to be improved. The real issue is how to provide that access. Ms. Bascom recalled that one of the design options in Mr. Miles' study was to reconstruct Willamette Street between 8th and 10th avenues in such a way that traffic could be reintroduced at minimal expense. She said this suggestion might be worth considering. Mr. Rutan pointed out the cost of that proposal is close to the $1.45 million contained in the Planning Commission and Downtown Commission recommendation. Mr. Holmer said it would be useful to have alternatives suggested in Mr. Miles. study before the council. He said he would also like staff to give council more information regarding the alleys along the mall. Mayor Obie asked if the council should schedule another work session that focuses on design questions. Ms. Ehrman said she also would like to consider cost assessments to private property owners along the mall. She said that is not an unreasonable request in light of the City's investment. Councilors agreed to hold another work session to investigate design alternatives March 9 at 11:30 a.m. Mayor Obie said he hopes the council can review the design options and take a policy direction vote at that meeting. The work session was adjourned at 7:08 p.m. to the February 22 business meeting. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 8 e 'e e Respectfully submitted, ~:~ M;c~;i<e~ -- City Manager (Recorded by Todd Nissen) mncc022288-530 MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 9